Towel-folding machine



Feb, 22, 1927. 1,618,391

G. A. S'I'EINERA TOWEL FOLDING MACHINE INvEN-rof? j Geol? STE/NER rroewsrs Patented Feb. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. STEINER, F SALT LAKE CITY,

v UTAH, AssTcNon To sTErNER sALEs 'corr- PANY, or SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A coRroaATroN or* UTAH.

TOWEL-FOLDING MACHINE.

Application flied May 19,

The object of this invention is to provide al machine in which a towel of the roller type can be unwound from its roll and folded into a series of flat folds, one upon the other,

preparatory to the washing' and mangling operation. I y

A further object is to provide a towel folding machine by means of which a single attendant can easily and' 'quickly fold the towel web into a series of folds of varying length dependent upon the stroke of the reciprocating member of the folder.

Other from the 'following detailed description;

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a towel folding machine embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same;

Figure 3 illustrates a mechanism by means of which the folding slide may be reciprocated to effect an automatic folding of the towel web.

In the drawing:

2 represents a suitable top having supporting legs 3 and a track 4 for a reciprocating slide 5 having wheels 6 to vrun on said track. A hand grip is provided at one end of the slide by means of which the operator may grasp and reciprocate the slide back and forth on the top of the table. 8 is a trough extending transversely of the tabletop and supportedby suitable means such as upright standards 9. This trough is adapted to receive the roll 10 of soiled toweling; A roll 11 having a sanded surface as indicated in Figure 1, is mounted in the standards 9 and has a pulley 12 driven through a belt 13 from a suitable source of power, such as a motor 14. The loose end of the towel roll 1() is laid upon this roll 11 and as the roll is revolved the towel is fed thereof and deposited upon the slide 5 beneath, and evidently if this slide 5 is in motion the towel will be laid thereon in regular uniform folds, the length of each fold depending upon the degree of reciprocation of the slide. If a long stroke is made, then the folds will be longer, while if the stroke is short the folds will'be correspondingly shorter. The towel web is laid smoothly, one fold upon the other, and when the towel has been fully unwound and folded, a cord will be passed around it to hold objects of the invention will appear 1924. semi-n0. inclinav the folds together and it is then placed in the washing machine and thoroughly washed and from thence goes to the extractor, land when this operation isfinished, the towel still in a folded condition, will be delivered to the mangle, thecord removed and the web fed through the mangle in flattened form; the folds preventing wrinkling and twisting and Yinsuring a smooth even roll whe'l the web emerges finally on the discharge side of the mangle. o

If the web of towel is unrolled and put through the washing machine in a loose eX- tended form without any folds, it is almost sure to become twisted so that it has to be straightened out before passingY to the mangle. lilith this arrangement, however, the web of toweling is kept smooth and flat andr there is no danger of its becoming twisted or wrinkled before delivery to the ironing machine.

In Figure 3,-I have shown. a modification which consists in providing a lever 14 pivoted at l15 and having a link connection 16 with the slide 5. A link 17 connects the lever 14 with a cra-nk arm 18 and a gear 19 has a driving connection with the motor 14 and with the crank arm 18 so that when the motor is in operation, a. corresponding movement will be imparted to the reciprocating slide to move it back and forth on the surface of thetable. In other respects the operation of the device is the same as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

I claim as my invention:

1. A towel folding machine, comprising a frame,l a trough supported transversely thereabove, a driven roller supported adjacent and at a level above said trough and having aroughened surface, and a table reciprocable below the trough and roller, whereby a roll of goods, loosely supported in said trough and having its fabric leading upwardly from the bottom of the trough, over said roller and then vertically downwardly to lie upon the table, is given sulficient area of contact with said roll to obtain a positive feed of the fabric toward the table.

2. A towel folding machine comprising a frame, a plate mounted to reciprocate thereon, a trough supported above said plate and adapted to loosely receive and support a roll of toweling, a feed roll having a roughened surface on said roll adjacent to and above said trough and over which the loose web of the toweling is placed, revolution of said feed roll operating to unwind the towel web from the bottom ot' the roll and lay it in folds upon said reciprocating plate, the length of such folds being governed by the degree of reciproeation oli said plate.

3. A towel folding niaehine comprising a i'raine, a slide mounted to reciprocate thereon, a towel roll support, a feed roll on which the loose end of the toweling web is placed, a. motor having a driving connection with said feed roll and mechanism connecting said inotor with said reciprocating slide whereby a simultaneous movement willbe imparted to said feed roll and slide to feed the towel web and lafT it in folds one upon the other upon said slide said inechanisrn comprising a crank arm geared to said motor, an oscillating lever, a link connecting said crank arm with said lever near its pivot, and a second link connecting said lever with said slide.

A device of the class described, co1n prising a frame, a trough supported transversely therea'bove, a roll supported adjacent and at a level above the trough, a table reciproeablc below the trough and rollerJ a lever, a link connecting said lever to Said table, and a driving mechanism transmittably connected with the roll, and adapted to oecillate said link.

In witness whereof, l have hereunto set niy hand this 18th day of May, 1924.

GEORGE A. STEINER. 

